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Friday, June 10, 2005

PND News - Foundation Assets Decreased Modestly in 2004, Study Finds: "Foundation Assets Decreased Modestly in 2004, Study Finds
According to a new study from the Commonfund Institute, a financial research firm based in Wilton, Connecticut, private, community, and public foundations in the United States reported an average total return of 11.4 percent in fiscal year 2004, compared with a 17 percent return in 2003.
The report, Commonfund Benchmarks Study: Foundations and Operating Charities 2005, found that smaller foundations (those with assets of $10 million to $500 million) averaged an 11.8 percent return in 2004, compared to 11.1 percent return for larger foundations ($501 million to $1 billion in assets). The average reported return for all foundations over three years was"

Survey Finds That A Worthy Cause May Not Be Enough: "Survey Finds That A Worthy Cause May Not Be Enough
Friday June 10, 9:59 am ET
Trust and Reputation Among Top Three Factors Influencing Donations to Nonprofit Organizations; 'Business of Trust' to Be Explored at AMA Nonprofit Marketing Conference July 11 - 13 in Washington, DC
CHICAGO, June 10 /PRNewswire/ -- A consumer perceptions survey released today by the American Marketing Association (AMA) and the American Marketing Association Foundation (AMAF) reveals that for 78% of Americans, trust in a nonprofit organization is the most important factor when considering a donation. Organizational trust far outweighs personal experience, with factors such as personal knowledge of others having donated and receiving support from an organization trailing all other factors that could influence an individual's reason for giving."

On a Wednesday in late March, seven security managers were called into a conference room at the J. Paul Getty Trust's hilltop campus in Brentwood and told that their positions had been eliminated.It was the first in a series of layoffs and cutbacks that year at the Getty. The trust's endowment had lost more than $1 billion in two years, mostly because of declining stock markets. Despite its reputation for bottomless wealth, the Getty was pinching pennies.But the cuts didn't apply to everyone.Days after the security layoffs, trust Chief Executive Barry Munitz drove up the Getty Center's winding driveway in a new Porsche Cayenne. The Getty paid $72,000 for the SUV. When ordering it, Munitz told an aide it should include the 'best possible sound system,' 'biggest possible sunroof' and 'power everything�.'"

The gender gap persists: "News & Record
A story in Sunday's News & Record comparing the salaries of female leaders of Triad nonprofit organizations with their male counterparts confirmed what is common knowledge for women in the workplace overall. On the whole, salaries of female nonprofit executives are lower than those of their male peers -- an average of 40 percent lower, according to the story reported by Margaret Moffett Banks.
Marci Brown, executive director of the Tarheel Triad Council of Girl Scouts of America, told Banks that salary rarely comes up in discussion when she and female colleagues gather at national meetings. There's no need for it to, she said, noting 'any professional woman, for-profit or nonprofit, is aware that there is a discrepancy between men and women's salaries.'"

ROCHELLE RILEY: Young guard takes charge: "ROCHELLE RILEY: Young guard takes charge
Group has a vision to transform Detroit's African American history museum � and the spirit to forge ahead with that task
June 10, 2005
BY ROCHELLE RILEY
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
A cadre of young, black Detroiters wants to transform the city's struggling black history museum into a national treasure by seeking financial support from a national network of their peers -- all under 45 and many Detroit expatriates."

In an age where computers and contact management software are prevalent,you'd expect most people to manage their contacts electronically. Then again, maybe not.
According to survey results released this week by contact management company Plaxo, a significant percent of people still use pen and paper to manage their contacts. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company found that 37 percent of respondents claimed that they managed their contacts with Post-It notes or a Rolodex"

Douglas County Bank: "Last quarter, we missed earnings by a penny a share. Naturally, the media were all over it - why aren't they nearly as quick to cover the great things we're doing for our communities?'The Donors Forum of Chicago recently convened a panel discussion on 'Media and Corporate Philanthropy' that featured a blend of media, corporate communications, and PR agency perspectives. Questions much like the one above provoked a lively give-and-take between panelists and the audience that encapsulated both the benefits of media coverage of corporate philanthropy, as well as the challenges associated with generating that coverage. "

Most people think that Americans are generous because we are rich. But I will argue that we are rich because we are generous. American generosity creates a significant force in the country's economy. It sustains the mutuality and upward mobility that create a healthy democracy. We often think of philanthropy as charity, and philanthropy can play that role when crises strike. But we should think of generosity as 'health insurance' for the republic. In the great American tradition, generosity is 'self interest rightly understood.'"

Susan King had a good problem.JewishGen Inc., the League City, Texas-based nonprofit organization that King had founded to help people trace their Jewish heritage, was growing rapidly -- adding approximately 5,000 members each month. What had originated in '87 as a message-based bulletin board system, moved online in '94 and soon became one of the most popular Web sites for researching Jewish heritage. By the late '90s, it had grown so much that its user databases were too unwieldy to manage.'We had seven or eight places where we had data, and we really could not identify our users in one single place,' King said. "

NewsCenter 5's Consumer Reporter Susan Wornick reported Friday that there are some things you should know before saying hello.The Do Not Call List has effectively cut nuisance calls, but they still come.In one case, a caller says he's from the American Foundation for Disabled Children. He thanks you for your past support and wants another contribution.You may want to help disabled children, but NewsCenter 5 investigated the organization.The Charity Navigator gives the AFDC an overall rating of zero, and their income statement shows why. They raise nearly $2 million, but spend most of it on fundraising. Disabled children aren't getting much money at all.Charities are exempt from the Do Not Call List, but that status doesn't mean they aren't making money and spending it in ways you wouldn't approve."

Six countries have signed an agreement to bring this unique way of helping the needy to areas in Asia, Europe and even Africa.For 18 years, the Boys Brigade Sharity Gift Box has mobilised thousands in the community to bring cheer to the less fortunate. "

Metal makes an odd conduit for philanthropy; even philanthropy that translates into awareness, exposure and motivation. But not for the 35 underprivileged children from government schools in Yarabnagar and Channasandra, who found themselves interacting with the incumbent Professor of Art at Shaw University, North Carolina, to produce a work of art titled �Reading Beads�.

�Reaching out to every man- that�s what my art is about,� says Professor Ollapally, who specialises in metal sculptures and installations. Shaw University, where she works, is a historically African-American university where a significant number of students are the first in their family to ever go to college. �Hence I understand the issues involved in getting students motivated to accomplish,� says the Professor, who was born in Kerala"

State: FAMU chair filled by its donor: "The administrators at the Florida A&M University law school were thrilled with the $1-million donation. Not only would Kentucky lawyer Shirley Cunningham Jr. create an endowed chair at the new school, his gift would provide FAMU another $750,000 in matching money from the state.
But there was a catch.
The new Shirley Cunningham Jr. chair that Cunningham agreed to fund in 2001 would be filled by none other than Shirley Cunningham Jr.
His annual salary: $100,000, plus benefits worth about $25,000."

SINGAPORE � Arab nations are making good progress in fighting money laundering and terrorist financing, with significant strides in controlling charities, the head of a regional watchdog said yesterday.The comments by Muhammad Baasiri, president of the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENA FATF) come after the US has criticised slow progress on the issue in the Arab world."

The ranking of Pittsburgh's top charities' overall fiscal health dropped to fifth place nationally among the country's 25 largest markets after being No. 1 last year, according to an annual survey.
The study by Charity Navigator of more than 4,000 U.S. charities found that Pittsburgh's 32 largest charities ranked among the best in program spending, overall saving and reasonable compensation for chief executives. But, the study said, the city had the second-lowest percentage of charities with donor privacy policies."

BLOOMINGTON � The Indiana non-profit sector has emerged as a larger component in Indiana�s job picture, adding positions and boosting pay at a time when businesses were cutting employment rolls and wages, an Indiana University study released Saturday shows.
Non-profits now account for one in 12 jobs in Indiana, said Kirsten Gronbjerg, lead author of the study, �Indiana Nonprofit Employment: 2005 Report,� from IU�s Center on Philanthropy and School of Public and Environmental Affairs, or SPEA."

Philanthropy carries a whiff of scandal: "Philanthropy carries a whiff of scandal
Colleges feel awkward when donors run afoul of the law
Sunday, June 05, 2005
By Bill Schackner, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It's hard not to like an alum who's so wildly successful he can pledge millions for campus construction and entice world-renowned musicians to perform for his small-town alma mater.
Alberto Vilar, a 1962 graduate of Washington and Jefferson College, did exactly those things. As an investment wizard, a global patron of the arts and a college trustee, Vilar became a deep-pocketed symbol of campus pride as visible as the Vilar Technology Center, so named in 1999 for his $18.1 million pledge, the largest in the college's history."

NANTUCKET, Massachusetts In spring, along with the daffodils, crowds on the ferry and workers raking the beaches, comes the ritual of real estate gossip here. What properties changed hands over the winter? And who could possibly be paying those out-of-sight prices?

That 15-acre, or six-hectare, waterfront parcel for sale at $15 million? It was snatched up after only one day on the market. The purchaser was Steven Rales, the billionaire entrepreneur, who owns at least 61 acres next door and who bought the parcel to protect his privacy and waterfront views, said Dalton Frazier, a local real estate agent.

Have any other palatial estates expanded? Recently, H. Wayne Huizenga, the billionaire founder of Blockbuster and owner of the Miami Dolphins football team, wanted more elbow room and bought a neighboring house for $2.5 million. Richard Mellon Scaife, the publisher and heir to a banking fortune, bought an extra house too; he needed it for the staff.

By STEVE ANDREWS News Channel 8Published: Jun 6, 2005TAMPA - Americans have opened their hearts and wallets to firefighting causes since the Sept. 11 attacks, and a Hillsborough County Fire Rescue captain has raised more than $1 million because of that generosity.The money was raised for firefighting causes. However, state records show only $175,00 went to those causes.Most of the money went to pay the Hillsborough County- based fundraising business organized and run by Capt. George Sucarichi. Money also went to telemarketing companies, one of them owned by Sucarichi.Sucarichi is the treasurer of the nonprofit business, called the Bay Area Council of Firefighters and Paramedics.The BAC is listed with Florida's Division of Consumer Services as a ``charitable organization.'' However, it is not registered as a charity with the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS lists it as a 501C-5 labor organization. Donations are not deductible.The BAC seeks donations for its member organizations by telephone.``It's like any other firefighter fundraising program,'' Sucarichi said. ``The dollars are funneled in and then the expenses are paid.''

The Jakarta Post - Islamic philantrophy fails to help the poor: Research: "Islamic philantrophy fails to help the poor: Research
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesian Muslims donate about Rp 19.3 trillion (about US$2 billion) annually, but poor management prevents much of this money from really helping the poor, according to a researcher.
Chaider S. Bamualim, a lecturer and researcher at Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State University (UIN), said that while the Koran talked about social justice, this ideal was not always reflected in Muslim society.
'The religious principle of making donations is strong, but poor human resources make the donations ineffective. Also, the motivation for making donations is to be closer to God. It has to be focused on empowering the poor instead of mere charity,' he said while reporting the results of a study he led on Islamic philanthropy during a seminar on Wednesday"

Since I'm always muttering about how we need better knowledge management in the nonprofit sector, I'm thrilled to see that the esteemed Jonathan Peizer has created Capaciteria as a labor of love and sabbatical project.

Here's the idea (taken from the project's home page):

Capaciteria is a comprehensive, searchable database directory of administrative resources that help nonprofits leverage their own capacity. It promotes peer review because members can comment on and rate individual resource links as well as add useful new links. Like Google, search requests return link results weighted to rise based on ratings and popularity given to them by nonprofit users."

Arts & Culture - Voice of San Diego: "Engaging Women in Significant Philanthropy
By JULIE DUBICK and LINDA KATZ
Voice Guest Columnists
Tuesday, June 7, 2005
At the turn of the millennia, a new model for women in philanthropy began to emerge. Rather than the check-writing, gala-planning, raffle-running methods of past decades, this form of charitable giving commanded fresh respect. It was sophisticated. It was active. It matched the pace and mood of many of San Diego's emerging class of female business owners, entrepreneurs and community leaders. It was obvious to the San Diego Foundation, a community foundation that gravitates to the leading edge of change, that women's traditional patterns of giving were shifting -- yet full-scale philanthropy was still uncharted territory for many women. A vision for an organization that would promote the participation and leadership of women in charitable giving began to take shape. In 2000, the San Diego Foundation and a group of its volunteers founded the San Diego Women's Foundation, putting a fresh new female face on philanthropy."

Tuesday, Jun 07, 2005,Page 8
Taiwan's skill at fundraising is outstanding among Asia-Pacific nations, and at various international conferences this ability has often earned the admiration of delegates.
But, underlying this enormous ability to mobilize resources is a relatively immature legal environment. Most politicians and the public in Taiwan have a narrow definition of philanthropy, which is equated with charity. People lack the concept of philanthropic investment.
This situation is aggravated by the media, who have focused on the bickering surrounding the issue, and have not exercised effective supervision or contributed to social progress in this regard"

SAN MATEO � Nonprofits used to be thought of as charities.
But with government and private funding increasingly hard to come by, they have to think of themselves as businesses, said Nancy L. Mangini, a consultant to Thrive, the alliance of nonprofits in San Mateo County.
'Nonprofits are all businesses, but they operate for the benefit of the general public and not for shareholders,' Mangini said.
Linda Asbury, president of the San Mateo Area Chamber of Commerce, said a shift in thinking is just beginning to happen among nonprofits. Two weeks ago, Asbury sat on a panel at a conference Thrive organized with its members and prominent business leaders to discuss how to partner more effectively. "

Nationwide volunteering charity TimeBank was celebrating today after reaching a landmark milestone.
A total of 100,000 volunteers have now offered their free time to good causes through the award-winning charity.

Chief executive, Moira Swinbank, said: �TimeBank�s message has always been that you get more out than you put in � whether it�s boosting your career, improving your health or helping you find new passions and interests."

Learning to Look Gift Horses in Mouth - New York Times: "Learning to Look Gift Horses in Mouth
By ROBIN POGREBIN and CAROL VOGEL
Published: June 6, 2005
Corrections Appended
The travails of Alberto W. Vilar, the arts benefactor arrested on May 26 on fraud charges, would seem a cautionary tale for arts institutions all over the country. Even before he was accused of stealing from a client to cover expenses and make good on charitable donations, Mr. Vilar had left several opera and concert halls hanging, and in the case of the Metropolitan "

The Foundation for the Enhancement of Mitchell County was recently honored by the Iowa Community Affiliate Network (Iowa C.A.N.) for outstanding accomplishment in 'Organization and Initial Fundraising' for community foundations.

Iowa C.A.N. is a statewide organization dedicated to the advancement of community based philanthropy. The network is comprised of over 30 community foundations from counties throughout the state."

HOW TO APPLY
J-Connection is distributing 400 all-in-one Dell printers to eligible nonprofit organizations in Lehigh Acres, Lee County and throughout the state.
To qualify, organizations must be a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit agency. Title 1 schools and faith-based organizations that provide social service outreach programs open to people of all faiths also qualify.
Call 368-8167 or e-mail jconnectadm@earthlink.net for an application or more information.

DELIVERING YOUR WORLD
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J-Connection, in partnership with Dell Inc. and Gifts In Kind International Inc. will be distributing about 400 all-in-one printers to eligible nonprofit organizations in Lehigh Acres, Lee County and throughout Florida.

J-Connection, a faith-based social service organization, has been approved as a Dell Printer Distribution Center and is designated as a distributor for Gifts In Kind International Inc., a product philanthropy organization."